[LoryWiv]

So trying a different quad of power tubes and rectifier combo this evening in my Lampizator TRP3 dac. I’ve had a mid 1940’s RCA 5R4GY sitting around for a couple of weeks now. This is a JAN CRC tube with black plates and double D getters- supposedly unused and came in an original box. Looked nice upon opening.

The quad purchased are Ken Rad 6F6G’s of the (I would assume) previously used variety. The seller stated he would attempt to match as closely as possible. The important part is that upon plugging them in they worked!

I placed these earlier today and let the equipment warm up for about 4 hours just to get settled before listening. As I’m listening now I’m noticing slight differences between both vs my regular playing tubes (RCA Globe 80 rectifier and Sovtek 6L6WXT+).

To stay on the topic I’ll focus on the 6F6G’s. Having no idea of their age or prior use I was surprised by what I heard at first. These tubes are definitely favoring the midrange and present a fairly neutral image. I wouldn’t call the presentation “rolled off” but there is a noticeable smoothing in the treble range, not quite as sparkly as with the Sovteks but present nonetheless.

The soundstage is perceived as being slightly narrower and definitely moved back. These are definitely not as bright as the Sovteks nor do they provide as much output as at my normal nighttime listening level I have my preamp turned up about 5 digits higher than usual. These tubes are very quiet though and provide no background noise.

I feel I should have left the rectifier unchanged in order to get a clearer picture of the differences but I think what’s written above provides a good outline. These tubes would work really well to tame down an overly bright recording or (in my case) a CD transport that seems to lean to the bright side a little more than would be desired. Overall they’re not bad tubes but overall I still prefer the 6L6WXT+.

I have Ken-Rad 6F6G's as well and generally find they bring out mid-bass / lower mids beyond other frequencies, although not by a huge margin and can still provide nicely balanced output esp. in synergy w/the right drivers.

 

[Designsfx]

@LoryWiv
Sounds consistent- that’s a good thing! What is your favorite pairing in your setup?

 

[Isaacc7]

So trying a different quad of power tubes and rectifier combo this evening in my Lampizator TRP3 dac. I’ve had a mid 1940’s RCA 5R4GY sitting around for a couple of weeks now. This is a JAN CRC tube with black plates and double D getters- supposedly unused and came in an original box. Looked nice upon opening.

The quad purchased are Ken Rad 6F6G’s of the (I would assume) previously used variety. The seller stated he would attempt to match as closely as possible. The important part is that upon plugging them in they worked!

I placed these earlier today and let the equipment warm up for about 4 hours just to get settled before listening. As I’m listening now I’m noticing slight differences between both vs my regular playing tubes (RCA Globe 80 rectifier and Sovtek 6L6WXT+).

To stay on the topic I’ll focus on the 6F6G’s. Having no idea of their age or prior use I was surprised by what I heard at first. These tubes are definitely favoring the midrange and present a fairly neutral image. I wouldn’t call the presentation “rolled off” but there is a noticeable smoothing in the treble range, not quite as sparkly as with the Sovteks but present nonetheless.

The soundstage is perceived as being slightly narrower and definitely moved back. These are definitely not as bright as the Sovteks nor do they provide as much output as at my normal nighttime listening level I have my preamp turned up about 5 digits higher than usual. These tubes are very quiet though and provide no background noise.

I feel I should have left the rectifier unchanged in order to get a clearer picture of the differences but I think what’s written above provides a good outline. These tubes would work really well to tame down an overly bright recording or (in my case) a CD transport that seems to lean to the bright side a little more than would be desired. Overall they’re not bad tubes but overall I still prefer the 6L6WXT+.

Tubes do tend to open up with more playing time on them. Not sure how long you let them cook. I have had many a tube not impress me at first only to love them with some time put on them.

 

[LoryWiv]

@LoryWiv
Sounds consistent- that’s a good thing! What is your favorite pairing in your setup?

Given Ken-Rad's tendency to accentuate lows, I often pair with Sylvania drivers which add treble sparkle and air. Similarly Brimars. Obviously lot's of variables, but as a generalization these combo's often are very pleasing.

 

[Designsfx]

Tubes do tend to open up with more playing time on them. Not sure how long you let them cook. I have had many a tube not impress me at first only to love them with some time put on them.

Oh definitely keeping this in mind! I’m running them again this evening- listening now. They did sound better this evening but this is also compounded by the rectifier having to break in as well. What I can’t stand is the stage offset- when it goes recessed I have to push the listening levels to get back into the same field and I find that awkward when auditioning new music. I’m going to leave the dac on again tomorrow just to put more hours on this rectifier before listening.

 

[Designsfx]

Wondering if any followers of this thread have had experience with a tube known as “Ediswan S11E12” (also CV4060)? I just came across this tonight in a listing where it was noted as being similar (but not equal to) a KT88. Can anyone share info or experience on this tube?

 

[Isaacc7]

Wondering if any followers of this thread have had experience with a tube known as “Ediswan S11E12” (also CV4060)? I just came across this tonight in a listing where it was noted as being similar (but not equal to) a KT88. Can anyone share info or experience on this tube?

This thread has died down considerably over time. Now most of the chatter about tubes happens in the dedicated amp threads. I've found a ton of good info here by using the search feature here and stumbling into threads I never would have found otherwise. I bet you'll find some good discussions about it. I know we had some chatter about it in the Oblivion tube rolling thread.

If they are actually Ediswan tubes they are pretty old tubes. I love love love my Ediswan made vt60a.

 

[Designsfx]

So true- threads loose steam. I’ve been putting energy into getting that previously dead ass Prog Rock thread back off the ground and it’s starting to gain steam.
Sadly I feel out of place with my inquiries on some of these threads as my questions and thoughts are primarily driven around a dac as opposed to a headphone amp. The Lampizator thread here is all but dead as well. But I want to thank you (@Isaacc7) for your considerate responses and suggestions. I’ll check around some other threads as you suggest and see what there is to offer.

 

[Isaacc7]

So true- threads loose steam. I’ve been putting energy into getting that previously dead ass Prog Rock thread back off the ground and it’s starting to gain steam.
Sadly I feel out of place with my inquiries on some of these threads as my questions and thoughts are primarily driven around a dac as opposed to a headphone amp. The Lampizator thread here is all but dead as well. But I want to thank you (@Isaacc7) for your considerate responses and suggestions. I’ll check around some other threads as you suggest and see what there is to offer.

Beyond reports of construction quality it really is a fool's errand to intuit too much about sound quality differences with tubes if you are using really different pieces of gear and run at completely different operating points. It's good to hear about issues like oscillations, noise, re-soldering, etc. and general impressions. Fair warning, this site has cost me thousands of dollars and I specialize in cheap tubes!

 

[Designsfx]

You want to talk about ridiculous spending hang out at “What’s best Forum“ for a while and let those guys work on your mind!

Your right about the comparisons of equipment not really mattering when it’s not apples to apples but I had hoped to glean some truths based on consistency across users experience as well. What I’m going to have learn more about is how the design parameters of these apply directly to this piece of gear, which parameters are making the greatest influence with regards to what I’m hearing and how to determine which models are going to stand a chance of offering improvement based on how their parameters compare to what I currently have. So far it’s been guesswork and hasn’t been catastrophic financially so no real harm there- only one or two losers so far. I’ve already seen the futility (from others) when it comes to blanket ordering boxes of other’s favorites only to find they didn’t work out. Hoping to eventually put a little more real world practical science behind my choices!

 

[killermax]

Hi, would you mind recommending me some warm sounding 6v6 tubes.

 

[Designsfx]

I’ve not tried a 6V6- only 6BQ6GTB, 6F6G, 6L6GT, and 6L6WXT+. I’m not using these in an amplifier but rather a Lampizator dac so not the same application as most here. Of the tubes mentioned the 6BQ6GTB had the ”warmest“ overall signature. Using these gives the impression of being slightly rolled off in the high frequency range though the detail is still present. Not as high output as other tubes but a very relaxed presentation.

 

[leftside]

All the classis tubes are going to sound great in the Lampizator DAC. The trick is finding those cheap under the radar tubes that also sound great. But, not many people are going to be talking about them... as they are under the radar... and very few of these under the radar tubes become popular. 6J5 family being an exception - probably because it's easy to make a 6J5 to 6SN7 adapter for those.

C3g tubes seem to finally be gaining in popularity - which I'm happy to see as they really do provide a unique detailed sound when combined with 300B (@2359glenn - you were right). Seems to be confirmed by multiple different 300B amp owners. Even the fabulous 4654/EL50, EL11/EL12 and related family of tubes will remain under the radar due to the sockets they use.

Also, a lot of us have posted all we have to say on the tubes we've purchased. There's not much more to say. And equipment wise, I feel a lot of us who used to post often have also reached end game for one of two reasons: 1) perfectly happy with what we have and/or 2) to get to the "next level" would be too expensive for our wallets. I've ran out of room for more tubes in my house I even built shelves in the garage to house them all and get them out of one of the bedrooms last summer.

Hopefully there will always be newbies to this wonderful hobby and hopefully they ask questions here. But, I'm always a little wary of answering how particular tubes sound, as it can be very dependent upon amp/DAC design (and the amp/DAC design and construction is much more important than any tube). I'm probably more likely to answer questions regarding the identification of tubes, their history, different years they were made, different construction, etc.

 

[OctavianH]

Speaking about tube identification, I wonder if anyone tried the PE06/40N (or any of the versions, regardless of the base). The KL/DUF means it was made in Hamburg?

 

[gibosi]

Speaking about tube identification, I wonder if anyone tried the PE06/40N (or any of the versions, regardless of the base). The KL/DUF means it was made in Hamburg?

I have yet to find a key to the Philip's production codes used prior to 1948. Thus, I have no idea what "KL/DUF" means. Your guess is as good as anyone's I suspect.